Rain Stopped Play Sunday Flower Walk

The rain had been promised for today, just two millimetres out of the south. Rain from that direction is hard to predict here, but it hit with a clap of thunder after lunch, followed by a few drops. The real rain came when we were furthest from home! We had seen quite a lot of flowers by then and saw more on the way home but it wasn't fun stopping for pictures!

But this morning on the farm, two plants were worth snapping, Virgilia oroboides (or capensis), our Keurboom is looking magnificent:

Keurboom Virgilia oroboides

Under it are Scilla peruviana growing wild:

Scilla peruviana

There are still a few Satin Flowers, Wine-cups, Geissorhiza aspera to be seen, but they are past their best.

Satin Flower Geissorhiza aspera

We caught the tiny Sundews Drosera open again!

Sundew Drosera flower

The smaller, earlier Wachendorfia paniculata have finished flowering now and have set seeds. These triangular turban-like pods will still turn orange.

Wachendorfia paniculata seed pods

But on the big ones further up, the flowers have still to open!

Large Wachendorfia paniculata

Some of the Brunias have finished flowering and new growth is pushing through the spent flowers:

Brunia with spent flowers and new growth

The single Buchu Agathosma betulina we have found which was so badly hacked at last year is recovering and we're watching the progress of its babies scattered around. This is the most impressive one. Rubbing a single leaf is enough to leave a distinctive smell on your fingers for hours!

Young Agathosma betulina plant

We thought all the Trachyandra revoluta were finished flowering, now we had found the right name for them. We did find two examples still flowering:

Trachyandra revoluta, still in flower

What I thought before might be Combflowers Micranthus, have turned out to be grass:

Grass seed

The tufts are impressive! 

Tuft of grass with above seeds

All year we've been keeping an eye on the Purple Powderpuffs Pseudoselago serrata, waiting for the flowers to appear. There are again many more plants than we remember before, so when they come they'll be spectacular. This is the biggest plant we've found, about 60cm tall, and the flower heads aren't forming yet.

Purple Powderpuff Pseudoselago serrata

Right next to the road where we usually find Lobelia tomentosa, suddenly I noticed a very different one! It's not L. pinifolia which as it sounds has needle-like leaves, we know where to find plenty of those, this one is different.

Lobelia comosa? 

Could it be Lobelia comosa?

Flower detail

While on the subject of Lobelias, we've never seen a white one before! Hidden between two large rocks:

White Lobelia

A white L. pinifolia?

Flower of white Lobelia

The flowers are out on the big Psoralea pinnata, dead on cue (October to December).

Psoralea pinnata flowers

The local Pelargoniums are all out, with their exquisite red veined pattern in the pink flowers!

Pelargoniums in flower!

One of 'our' roads is literally lined with these plants with white clusters of flowers:

Unknown plant

Twice through Manning's Fynbos book hasn't given a clue as to what it is, and there were lots of them!

Flower detail

This Teedia is growing out of a hole in the rock face where it has found enough sustenance to produce flowers and berries!

Teedia growing out of a hole in the rocks!

It's Vygie time!

Vygies, but which one?

The succulent leaves are short and triangular, and with all the rain we've had, fat!

Succulent leaf detail

Pippa's next exam is Rock Art. No we didn't find any!

Any Rock Art?

I spotted a splash of colour in the midst of what we think is a Campylostachys cernua. But it's supposed to be white and flower in February, this was pink. It looks as if an Orchid of some kind is growing up within the plant!

Orchid in Campylostachis cernua?

On the way home the Sour Figs Carpobrotus edulis had closed up.

Sour Figs Carpobrotus edulis closed for the weather

These Helichrysums are aptly called Cape Snow!

Cape Snow Syncarpha vestita

:-) A